Project: Miles
by Modern Aegis
Summary: The time has come for Tails to step out of the shadows of his friends. Taking place after the events of Adventure 2, a new evil has arisen that threatens all parties involved, and as Mobius falls in and out of paradise, all hope lies in the timid child who decided to step forward and go faster.


**5 Days Until The Incident**

**14:32**

**E-Base 3**

Resources scarce, Eggman knew he didn't have very many options left available to him. He had to work with what he had. He had recently sent out an unassuming spy. A doll with a hovering device crudely made to resemble Tails. One could clearly tell he rushed it; It didn't even have a second tail. Controls were dispersed across the monitor Eggman peered into. While there was a control stick and a few buttons, most of the commands were linked to a keypad in front of him, which he would use to type in commands. Cameras were built into the doll's eyes, allowing him to spy on whatever location he directed it to. The doll was led into a small forest near a park. It was following Sonic and his allies around for a few days, so Eggman knew they would be going to this specific park for a picnic. The doll waited patiently, unable to move unless Eggman input a command from the console. As predicted, Tails, Amy, and Espio eventually came onto the scene.

TAILS: ~phew~ That took shorter than I expected.

The three of them began setting up the equipment. Eggman had to wait until Amy was by herself. Too early, and he would be outed. Too late, and they would leave.

TAILS: Doesn't it feel nice to get out and enjoy some sunshine?

ESPIO: Am I that boring to you?

They chuckle at his expense.

AMY: Anyway, I'm famished! Let's eat!

Their picnic consisted of mini pizzas, sugared toast, turkey hot dogs, and deviled eggs. Tails had abandoned his usual work in the laboratory for a few hours to get the food ready. The three of them were planning this picnic for the whole week in an effort to escape the drama going on back home, and to make good on this promise felt relaxingly satisfying.

Eggman had to admit the food looked good, but he had to keep quiet about it. Any accidental mic activation would sound his presense.

AMY: So, how are things going with Sonic?

Amy was quick to bring up her personal hero.

TAILS: Oh, things are great! He tried to invite me on one of his runs, but I told him I had lab work to get done.

AMY: Lab work? On what?

TAILS: I've been thinking about upgrading my biplane into a fighter jet. But first, I should fix one of the wings. It chipped on a boulder while I was testing it out, so I have to get it patched up.

AMY: Ooh. Hey, wait a minute! Why didn't he invite me!?

TAILS: Well, because you never want to go.

AMY: That doesn't mean he shouldn't ask! What if one day, I do wanna go!?

TAILS: Well, then I guess he'll be the hedgehog that cried wolf.

AMY: Pff… Oh, Tails.

ESPIO: I don't see what the point of it is. He's already in excellent shape for his age. Is it a fund raiser?

TAILS: No. Sonic just does it so he can feel the wind on his face. He's a thrill seeker like that.

ESPIO: Ah.

All the while, they ate. All the while, Eggman could only watch. Eggman's victory in this situation was reliant on the chance that Amy would become drowsy or somehow not want to follow them should anything come up. For this reason, Eggman had to wait until they had finished their meals for anything to happen. As luck would have it, Amy began to slow down with so much food in her stomach.

AMY: ~yawn~ That was good...

TAILS: Was it? I'm glad you liked it, Amy. I made it myself.

ESPIO: Mn... It's rather impressive.

Amy took a seat on the blanket, ready to take a nap. Eggman saw his chance.

CONSOLE: locate stick (1)

The doll scanned around the area for a fallen stick, and then locked onto it. The camera even had a scanner that detailed its composition, including the type of bark and whether or not it was infested with ants.

CONSOLE: grab stick

The doll leaned over and grabbed the stick. It had a metal endoskeleton, giving it leverage and density.

CONSOLE: throw stick 10m S

The doll leaned backwards and aggressively threw the stick a ways down. Eggman had laid a landmine in a very specific area where no one would think to go. This was just the distraction he needed. When the stick landed on the mine, it exploded, alerting the picnic goers.

TAILS: ...What was that?

ESPIO: ~sigh~ This is why I can't rest.

TAILS: No, we shouldn't get worked up yet. It could be anything. Let's just go take a look. Amy, are you coming with us?

AMY: No, thanks... I don't even think I can get up...

TAILS: Okay. We'll be right back.

With that, Tails and Espio headed off in the direction of the explosion to inspect it. Eggman had moments to act.

CONSOLE: locate subject Amy Rose

The doll then began scanning for any subjects saved as "Amy Rose". When it spotted Amy, it locked on. The camera went over a list of her vital conditions, the composition of her clothing, and any belongings she brought with, which she didn't.

CONSOLE: equip syringe

The doll had a syringe in the pouch on its back. It unzipped it, pulled the syringe out, and zipped it back up. It then held the syringe in an optimal position to inject into someone.

CONSOLE: use syringe on Amy Rose

The doll slowly floated over towards Amy, who was starting to drift into slumber. Once close enough, it picked up her arm with one hand, angling the syringe with the other. Upon confirming no witnesses, it stuck the needle of the syringe into her arm and began drawing her blood. And once the syringe was full, the doll withdrew the syringe from Amy's arm. She continued to sleep as the doll then floated backwards a few inches.

CONSOLE: travel to home

The doll then took off at top speed, which was about the speed of a 6-cylinder car. It would take 3 more minutes before Tails and Espio returned, seeing no leads in the explosion, since the landmine was entirely basic and could have been planted by anyone.

TAILS: Oh, she's asleep...

ESPIO: Hold on... Something happened to her arm.

His job seemingly never done, Espio rushed over to the sleeping Amy's arm and inspected her newfound shot wound.

ESPIO: ...That's strange... Judging by the size of the hole, it looks like she had her blood drawn by a doctor's syringe while we were gone. Perhaps the explosion was a distraction.

TAILS: Is she going to be okay?

ESPIO: She'll be fine, though she's definitely not waking up any time soon if the pain of the needle wasn't enough to wake her.

TAILS: Mmn...

Something about this didn't feel right to Tails. It was clear they were being targeted. Of course, the logical assumption was Eggman, but setting up a diversion just to take some blood samples didn't sound like something he would normally do. It's possible, but not certain, this could be someone completely different and new.

**17:58**

The doll returned to the base with the vial of blood in hand. Eggman took the vial into a side room that was invisible from the electronic maps, and thusly inaccessible by his robots and untraceable by any spyware. Inside this room was a tube filled with artificial amniotic fluid and a chaos gem on the counter near it. Only seven of these existed in the world. An amethyst, an aquamarine, a topaz, a ruby, a sapphire, an emerald, and a diamond. There was also a more powerful emerald known as the Master Emerald, which could counteract the other gems. Eggman had the ruby. Each gem functioned similarly to each other, but had different colors. Inside the drawer in the counter was a bone belonging to a human skeleton Eggman had recently grave robbed.

EGGMAN: To think, the very weapon my grandfather intended to avenge his precious Maria with would be used to save her after all. It's a pity I can't quite bring her back in her original form, but this will have to do.

That skeleton was Maria, Eggman's late cousin.

**18:41**

After injecting the blood into the chamber and adding the bone, it took over half an hour for any changes to occur. The DNA from Maria's bone and Amy's blood was merging. This was the best Eggman could do to restore her. She needed a compatible blood donor for a transfusion, and Amy's phenotype was most suitable, which was impressive for a mobian hedgehog. But the linking of the DNA sequences wasn't enough to restore her. Eggman needed the power of a chaos gem to make it work, as physically taxing as it was. He held the ruby in his hand and began attempting to channel power through it using his own energy, however much he had. He'd come into contact with them several times in his life, but never quite used them directly. Shadow's awakening enlightened the world to the powers of chaos, but few could truly use them. Eggman had to focus all of his thoughts into the ruby. Every thought that ran through his head had to be focused on one thing: Reviving Maria.

EGGMAN: I can do this... Khh..!

The power surging through his arm gave him severe muscle spasms and throbbing blood vessels. The entire procedure hurt, but once started, it couldn't be stopped. He was forced, physically and mentally, to complete the process of summoning Maria's soul back into existence and constructing a new body for her. But by focusing hard enough, Eggman was able to draw from his shallow pool of chaos power to complete the ritual.

EGGMAN: _Chaos Restore!_

The ruby began to glow a bright red as the biomatter in the chamber began swirling and shaking, as if something overtook it. The mass began to multiply as Eggman fell to the floor in exhaustion. As he panted heavily in a desperate attempt to catch his breath, he witnessed the formless variables beginning to take shape in the glass womb. It was growing and mutating into a new being. A being that closely resembled Amy, but was not Amy. The fur was a bright yellow, the eyes an ocean blue. This new lifeform began to take shape, birthed from the same blueprints that spawned Shadow. At last, the true key to immortality, and the original personality of Shadow. The fragile, naked form floated before the scientist as the ruby's glow began to fade. Sensing a lifeform inside the tube, the chamber began automatically draining the fluids away, leaving Maria's new body to begin to breathe. She awoke in a state of shock and confusion, unadjusted to the atmosphere and gravity and the memory of sending Shadow away still fresh on her conscience.

MARIA: Where... am I...? W-Why is the air so thick...?

EGGMAN: Hahahaha... It seems like the procedure was a success.

Maria trembled in wake of her unfamiliar hedgehog body and slowly looked up at the man that stood before her.

MARIA: W-Who are you...?

EGGMAN: You may address me as Dr. Eggman.

Maria was out of the know that "Eggman" was an alias that Dr. Ivo Robotnik adopted some time ago. She simply wrote it off as a surname for the time being.

MARIA: Can you please tell me where I am?

EGGMAN: You're on Mobius, 50 years in the future. This is one of my many bases of operations. I had recently discovered your friend Shadow after he was sent here, and I decided to take it upon myself to undo a part of that tragedy.

His true intentions went further, but she couldn't know that. And the first thing on Maria's mind after hearing that was the location of the closest person to her.

MARIA: You know Shadow!? Where is he!? Is he okay!?

EGGMAN: I can assure you, he is alive. I've lost sight of exactly where he is, but he's somewhere. My robots are closing in on him as we speak.

MARIA: I need to know that he's okay!

EGGMAN: In the meantime, I suggest you get used to your enviornment. You're not leaving just yet.

MARIA: Why not?

EGGMAN: There's potential in you, Maria. I can use that.

MARIA: Me...?

Maria didn't understand how she had potential. She could barely move in this new alien space. Her attempts to walk resulted in stumbling in her new hedgehog legs. The air was thicker, and she felt heavier despite weighing less. But before she could question Eggman, he had already left the room. Maria was left to attempt to gain her balance at last, a task that would cost her the entire day.

And all the while, no sign of Shadow. No hint of truth behind Eggman's guarantee.

**4 Days Left**

96 Hours Remain


End file.
